Australian authorities informed that the Mitsui O.S.K. Lines bulk carrier Vega Dream has been permitted to sail from its anchorage off Port Hedland despite crew members being in isolation aboard the vessel after testing positive for COVID-19.
Prior to the vessel’s departure, the Western Australian Department of Health provided humanitarian assistance to the COVID-19 positive crew. However, the Department was informed that the medical intervention was not required and the offer of assistance was declined.
In addition, the Department provided to the crew onboard advice concerning infection prevention and control, while the vessel’s was also offered access to the Department’s vessel deep-cleaning plans which they reported had been employed successfully on the cruise ship Artania and livestock carrier Al Kuwait, both of which had COVID-19 outbreaks earlier in the year in Perth, as well as being used with the Patricia Oldendorff, another bulk carrier that had also had a recent outbreak of COVID-19 among its crew while at Port Hedland.
The outbreak onboard the Vega Dream was noticed when one of the crew was transferred ashore for medical treatment overnight on October 10. The vessel had a crew of 20 aboard and later testing identified six additional crew members as positive. Those crew members were placed in isolation aboard the vessel and reported not to need medical attention.
Recently, ISWAN discussed of how to deal with COVID-19 close contacts onboard a vessel specifically concerning small vessels with less crew, which increases the potential of all the crew being infected by the virus.
The Vega Dream was fully loaded with cargo of ore and ordered to leave the dock for an anchorage offshore. Australian Maritime Safety Authority gave clearance for the vessel to depart on October 14 and it is currently projected to arrive in the Philippines on October 21.
Moreover, it was said that the pilot was in precaution quarantine. However, questions were raised if the crew had been on the dock and interacting with shore side personnel during the time it was loading in Port Hedland. The vessel was operating under charter to the Australian mining company BHP.
Yet, as the vessel moved from anchorage, it was not under the authority of Western Australia, but remained within the jurisdiction of the federal government.
The concerns in Western Australia were raised because the Vega Dream was the second vessel in a matter of days to have an outbreak of the virus among its crew.
